The Girl of an Old Mansion

4. Dark Arts

Next Morning

The Queen and Mi-sook continued their conversation in her private quarter. She began to explain why she had called her, but Mi-sook stopped her short and simply reassured her. She promised to give her a successor. No matter what it took.

"Your Highness! It is possibly the bad energy near you is a hurdle causing these problems for you."

"Does that mean there is no hope?" The Queen asked as her spirit suddenly dampened.

"Don't worry my Lady, you have summoned me for this task, I can assure you that I'll definitely give you an heir. But unfortunately, you have to go through some harsh practices."

The Queen sighed and said, "I'll do anything for this."

Mi-sook entered the Queen's chamber, and to their dismay, ordered all of her maids and court ladies to leave. Mi-sook stated that the order had come from the Queen, the court ladies reluctantly filed out. Then Mi-sook had the Queen restrained and stripped, and placed a talisman on the front of her skirt.

Without warning, Mi-sook had her henchwomen whip the Queen over and over, claiming to be ridding her of bad energy. The Queen was struck repeatedly until her garments were completely stained in blood. The whipping finally stopped when Mi-sook saw a burn mark appear on the talisman.

"Your Highness! I am sorry to say this, but you're barren."

The Queen bit down on her lip and closed her eyes for a moment to keep herself from crying out in anguish. The news broke the Queen. The revelation was far more painful than the pain of all the whipping. Her body was drenched in the hues of red, blood was still oozing out from her fresh wound but she couldn't care less about the wound. She started sobbing in the corner, the news destroyed her. 

"Your Highness! Stop crying. I know a way to work around this complication." The Queen looked at her.

"But your Highness, I must inform you that this spell is going to be risky. It's up to you now." Mi-sook warned the Queen.

"I'll do everything; my top priority is to get an heir for the throne," said the Queen.

"Alright, but first, you need to be treated. Pardon me for causing you pain." She called the Queen's maid and asked them to take care of the Queen.

The Queen ordered her maids to hide her injury from the King. She knew that if he found out, he would execute Mi-sook.

A devilish smile appeared onto Mi-sook's face as she walked out of the Queen's quarter, only to see Lord Yong stand before her.

The air became thick with the tension between them.

He had heard that Queen Iseul had invited her back and wasn't pleased with the idea of her residing in the palace.

"Long time no see Lord Yong."

"Our Queen is naïve. You can trick her with your shrewdness but you can't trick me. I know very well what you are up to. You won't be able to succeed in your conspiracy while I am here."

Lord Yong proceeded to the Queen's chamber but stopped right in front of the door. He asked the Queen why she brought Mi-sook back to the palace but the Queen silenced him.

"You knew that I was barren all along but never told me anything. You kept me in the dark. No doubt you're a great scholar but I will never be able to forget what you did. You're no longer needed here so leave the palace as I've someone else to take care of my matters now,"

"Your Highness, pl-" Lord Yong tried to reason with the Queen.

"Leave the palace now!" The Queen commanded cutting him off. Yong sighed before turning around to leave, but the queen's voice stopped him,

"And do not speak to anyone of what you know. If you do, the consequences will be severe."

The last command came to Lord Yong like a shock. After serving the palace for years not even in his dreams had he thought there would come a day where he would hear this. He had his explanations for the accusations raised by the Queen but he knew it wouldn't be enough to convince her.

Lord Yong nodded to the Queen's command and left.

Later that night, a young court lady of the palace woke up and ran towards the King's chamber while she bumped into Mi-sook, shouting, "The King! The King is in danger!"

After some time, the Queen got news that the King had fallen ill and rushed to see him. She was told that it was an acute indigestion, and they were lucky to catch and treat it so quickly.

Mi-sook recalled the young girl who had woken up from her sleep and ran outside to inform other people about the King's condition.

Later, Mi-sook went to meet the girl, "How come you know about the illness of the King before anyone else?"

"Since childhood, I could hear and see glimpses of the future."

It didn't take her much time to realize that the girl was gifted.

"A girl who can see future events will create a problem for me. I need to get rid of her somehow," she thought to herself as she figured out a plan to take care of the girl.

She quickly rushed to the Queen with a game plan in her mind to make the girl her scapegoat.

"I have found a girl for the King, my Lady."

"Good, who is it ?"

"The girl named Min-shi, your highness."

"Okay, but how do we convince her?"

"It's treason to not follow the order of a Queen. Therefore, no one can deny your order," she stated. The Queen nodded in agreement, lost in thought for a moment before she ordered the guards to summon Min-shi.

The Queen summoned Min-shi.

Min-shi reached the Queen's chamber and greeted her.

"What I'm about to ask you will not be easy for you but it'll definitely benefit you later."

Min-shi could feel the tension in the air. She knew something was going to happen, and the fear was clear on her face. Sweat was glistening on her forehead as she sat there waiting for the Queen's command.

"You need to sleep with the King," she said, keeping a passive expression. Mi-sook had told the Queen that she needed someone to sleep with the King to get rid of his bad energy.

"Your Highness! Have mercy on me. I can't do this. I'm a maiden, I can't give my body to a man," she tried pleading with the Queen which earned her a slap.

"He is not just a man. He is the King of Noam. As a citizen of Noam, it is your duty to do this much for your kingdom. You should feel proud at this moment that you have been chosen for this noble work. Once it is done, I will reward you handsomely."

The innocent girl was left with no choice. She reluctantly said yes.

So that night, Min-shi was bathed and robbed, and the Queen issued instructions on how and how not to compose herself. She noticed Min-shi's hands tightly grasping her skirt and pulled them into her own, embracing her. One could see her expression, break into one of guilt.

No one looked happy at all as the King entered and began to disrobe Min-shi.

To convince the King to sleep with a maiden was also a hard task but the Queen succeeded in convincing him in the end.